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Sunday, August 30, 2009

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, a member of Cucurbitaceae family) is related to the cantaloupe, squash and pumpkin, (plants growing on vines on the ground).

Watermelon refers to both the fruit and plant of a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) herb.

The watermelon fruit, one of the common types of melon, can be round, oblong or spherical in shape. It has a thick / smooth exterior rind (green, yellow, and sometimes white) that are often spotted or striped and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually red, but sometimes orange, yellow, or pink).

There are more than twelve hundred varieties of watermelon with flesh that is red, orange, yellow, or white. Several notable varieties are included here.

Carolina Cross: This variety of watermelon has green skin, red flesh and commonly produces fruit between 65 and 150 pounds.

Yellow Crimson Watermelon: This variety of watermelon that has a yellow colored flesh. This particular type of watermelon has been described as "sweeter" and more "honey" flavored than the more popular red flesh watermelon.

Orangeglo: This variety of watermelon has a very sweet orange pulp, and is a large oblong fruit with a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes.

The Moon and Stars: This variety of watermelon has a purple/black rind with several small yellow circles (stars) and one or two large yellow circles (moon). The flesh is pink or red and has brown seeds. The foliage is also spotted.

Cream of Saskatchewan: This variety of watermelon consists of small round fruits, around 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter. It has a quite thin, light green with dark green striped rind, with sweet white flesh and black seeds.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

An Orange is a type of citrus fruit. Oranges originated in Southeast Asia. The fruit of Citrus sinensis is called sweet orange to distinguish it from Citrus aurantium, the bitter orange.An orange seed is called a pip. The white thread-like material attached to the inside of the peel is called pith.Oranges are widely grown in warm climates worldwide, and the flavours of oranges vary from sweet to sour.

There are various varieties of oranges like Persian orange, Navel orange, Valencia orange and Blood orange.

Persian orange: The Persian orange, grown widely in southern Europe.

Navel orange: Navel orange, also known as the Washington, Riverside, or Bahie navel generated after single mutation of sweet oranges, where a second orange is developed at the base of the original fruit, opposite the stem. The second orange develops as a conjoined twin in a set of smaller segments embedded within the peel of the larger orange.

Valencia orange: The Valencia / Murcia orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice extraction. It is a late-season fruit, and therefore a popular variety when the navel oranges are out of season.

Blood orange: The blood orange has streaks of red in the fruit, and the juice is often a dark burgundy colour. The scarlet navel is a variety with the same diploid mutation as the navel orange.

The fruit is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice.

It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded, but can be processed into animal feed by removing water, using pressure and heat.

It is also used in certain recipes as flavouring or a garnish.

The outer-most layer of the rind can be grated or thinly veneered with a tool called a zester, to produce orange zest. Zest is popular in cooking because it contains the oil glands and has a strong flavour similar to the fleshy inner part of the orange.

The white part of the rind, called the pericarp or albedo and including the pith, is a source of pectin and has nearly the same amount of vitamin C as the flesh.

Sweet orange oil is a by-product of the juice industry produced by pressing the peel. It is used as a flavouring of food and drink and for its fragrance in perfume and aromatherapy.

Sweet orange oil is efficient cleaning agent, used in various household chemicals, such as to condition wooden furniture, and along with other citrus oils in grease removal and as a hand-cleansing agent.

The orange blossom, is traditionally associated with good fortune, and was popular in bridal bouquets and head wreaths for weddings for some time.

The petals of orange blossom can also be made into a delicately citrus-scented version of rosewater.

Orange blossom water (aka orange flower water) is a common part of both French and Middle Eastern cuisines, used most often as an ingredient in desserts.

In Spain, fallen blossoms are dried and then used to make tea.

In the United States, orange flower water is used to make orange blossom scones.

Orange blossom honey, or actually citrus honey, is produced by putting beehives in the citrus groves during bloom, which also pollinates seeded citrus varieties. Orange blossom honey is highly prized, and tastes much like orange.

Marmalade, usually made with Seville oranges, pith & pips are separated, placed in a muslin bag and boiled in the juice (and sliced peel) to extract pectin for setting marmalade.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Bananas are a type of commonly eaten fruit and the herbaceous plant of the genus Musa (family Musaceae), which are cultivated primarily for food and secondarily for the production of fibers including ornamental purposes.

Each individual fruit has a protective outer layer (a peel / skin) with a fleshy edible inner portion. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. Bananas are classified either as dessert bananas (yellow and fully ripe when eaten) or as green cooking bananas.Bananas can be eaten raw (both skin and inner part) though some varieties are generally cooked first.

In Western cultures, the inside is eaten raw and the skin is discarded.

In some Asian cultures, both the skin and the inside pulp are eaten cooked.

In most tropical countries, green (unripe) bananas are either fried, boiled, baked or chipped.

In addition to the fruit, the flower of the banana plant (banana blossom / banana heart) is used in Southeast Asian and Indian (Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and Kerala) cuisine, either served raw with dips or cooked in soups and curries.

The tender core of the banana plant's trunk is also used in Indian (Telugu, Bengali and Kerala) cuisine, including Burmese cuisine.

Bananas fried with batter, is a popular dessert in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Banana fritters served with ice cream is another popular dish.

Bananas are also eaten deep fried, baked in their skin in a split bamboo, or steamed in glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf, a popular dish in Burma.

Selecting Bananas:

Bananas are usually harvested when green and ranges from green to yellow, with brown spots.

Bananas should be quite firm & bright in appearance and the peel should not be crushed / cut.

Their stems and tips should be intact.

Green bananas last more.

Yellow and brown-spotted bananas should be consumed within 2-3 days.

Storage of Bananas:

It best advised to store bananas at room temperature to complete the ripening process.

Do not store green bananas in the refrigerator as it interrupts the ripening process (below 8 degrees Celsius, the fruits will not ripen and will turn black).

Ripe bananas can be stored in the refrigerator (peel may become brown, but the pulp will not be affected).

Place the banana in a paper wrap (to allow air) with an apple if you need to hasten the ripening process.

Bananas can be stored for over 1 month, if freezed. Remove the peel, sprinkle some lemon juice over the pulp (to prevent discoloration) and then freeze in plastic wraps.

Commonly available varieties of Bananas:

Red bananas: bananas with green/red peel and pink fruit flesh and taste like yellow bananas. The redder a fruit, the more carotene it contains, known to be healthier than other yellow vaieties

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Apple is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, is a pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, known for its high yields and long storage life.The tree originated from Central Asia and there are over 7,500 known cultivars of apples, with red, yellow and green varieties.Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical / forbidden fruit.

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Welcome everyone to Global Cuisine in my Platter, a collection of mouth watering cuisines around the globe with lots of cooking tips, some information on fruits and vegetables including natural cure home remedies for common ailments and all things about food and food related...Though I am not a gourmet chef, I love to cook and try out new recipes. The sole aim of this blog is to nourish my passion for cooking. So, keep visiting and do remember to leave your valuable comments, suggestions and acknowledgements...